At this time last year, it felt like at times we had more questions than answers about how the Washington Capitals training camp would end up affecting the Hershey Bears roster. Who was going to take the two forward spots available in camp? Where would Vincent Iorio fit in Washington’s plans? How did the new class of rookies look that were expected to produce in Hershey?

The inevitable problem with that was none of those questions got answered fully at the end of camp. Regarding the open spots at forward, injuries saw Hendrix Lapierre, Sonny Milano and Ethen Frank all up in Washington at the same time by the end of October, with Lapierre and Frank actually winning out when everyone was finally healthy.

A late injury to Capitals defenseman Matt Roy in last year’s preseason saw the Capitals keep Iorio up for a few regular season contests. The extra ten days he was in the NHL saw the San Jose Sharks defense situation become nearly untenable and they took a shot on Iorio when he was put on waivers once Roy got healthy. Because of that, we never saw Iorio in the chocolate and white again.

The rookies ended up being up and down, with some real highlight players (Ilya Protas, Andrew Cristall, David Gucciardi), some strugglers (Ryan Chesley) and some who never got consistent ice time because of injury (Leon Muggli, Eriks Mateiko, Cam Allen).

With the start of this season, there does seem to be more clarity than last. That doesn’t mean there aren’t battles and storylines to watch in this shortened camp and preseason, but unlike the last few, the Bears roster is much more set from the get-go.

The Battles to Watch

There are basically two battles to watch for in Caps camp this year for Bears fans. And both are heavily dependent on what the Capitals decide to do with their three scratch spots.

Washington under Spencer Carbery has generally kept 13 forwards and eight defensemen on the roster. However, that could change this year. With Ivan Miroshnichenko no longer waivers exempt and Washington already having thirteen set forwards, there is a world where Washington holds on to 14 forwards and only seven defensemen to ensure they don’t lose Miroshnichenko on waivers this year.

This is really where Miroshnichenko’s waiver status comes into play. The fact is, the signings of Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner, the trade acquisition of Jordan Kyrou and Ilya Protas having a set spot as the Capitals third line center, there’s not any room at all to break into the starting lineup. There’s so little room in fact, that Ethen Frank, even with a strong second half of the season and a shiny 2-year, $2 million AAV contract he signed in April, may find himself in the scratches suite more often than not.

That means players like Andrew Cristall (who is not waivers eligible), Bogdan Trineyev and Josh Dunne (both waivers eligible, but not with the same perceived skill pedigree as Miroshnichenko) aren’t even on the bubble to make the Capitals roster on opening night.

However, it is not a clear path for Miroshnichenko as he will have to beat out free agent signing Jonny Brodzinski for that extra spot and also hope the Capitals don’t decide to keep their usual 13F/8D setup, in which case the Capitals would keep both Dylan McIlrath and Justin Holl up until Rasmus Sandin returns from a torn ACL.

The battle between Holl and McIlrath is one in its own, and if Washington does decide to keep 14 forwards on the roster, one of the two will come down to Hershey. Now, we all know McIlrath from his three year tenure in Hershey, but Justin Holl would be a strong addition to the Bears defense corps as well.

Holl, one of Washington’s free agent signings this offseason, has over 400 NHL games under his belt, with his best stretch coming in the early part of this decade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He struggled with the Red Wings the last few seasons and found himself spending the first part of last season with the Grand Rapids Griffins, where he was a key member of their defense, before a trade sent him to St. Louis, where he stayed up with the Blues for the rest of the year.

Now, if the Capitals do start with only seven defensemen on the roster and keep it that way when Rasmus Sandin returns from a torn ACL he suffered in early April last season, both Holl and McIlrath will be Bears by the holiday period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. At this moment, it’s probable that only one will suit up for Hershey on opening night and this shortened camp will be a battle between the two for who keeps that NHL roster spot.

Preseason Hockey Monday Night

This all leads up to the Capitals-Flyers preseason game Monday night at Giant Center. With only four preseason games on the docket this year, plus one the night before in Boston, I am interested to see the group Spencer Carbery puts out there.

With the back to back in mind, will it have a few more AHL guys on it, who may likely just stay in town as Bears training camp kicks off the next day. Or, because of the shorter timeline, will we see a more NHL heavy roster, as Carbery has admitted that this camp is more focused on getting the set NHL guys up to speed.

We’ll see for sure when the roster for the Capitals preseason game in Boston tomorrow is set. The Chocolate Roar will see Bear Nation there on Monday night as hockey season officially gets underway. We can’t wait and we know you can’t wait either. See you Monday.